Originalflash

Food

6 Euros for a medium Mc Chicken meal at Mc Donalds

OR

6 Euros for my groceries

- 2x bananas

- 1x tomato

- 1x cucumber

- 1x loaf of wholegrain bread

- 1x box of chocolate coated biscuits

- 1x deodorant

- 1x jar of raspberry jam

Seems like I won on this one

Random Facts:

1. Their work and school week runs Sunday - Thursday with Friday and Saturday being their weekend. This is because Friday is a Muslim prayer day, however many of the big Western establishments are now open on Fridays too.

2. The temperature varies throughout the year but currently sits between 30-50 degrees with it reaching a maximum of around 55 degrees in August which is the peak of summer. It can get down to around 11 over night in the middle of winter. I’d kill for a cool breeze at the moment but the fact that it is a dry heat makes it much easier to handle than humid heat.

3. The legal drinking age is 21 and the legal driving age is 18. The reason the drinking age is so high is because Muslims aren’t allowed to drink at all so its predominantly only Westerners who are drinking and I guess they assume it should just be the same as America.

4. The cost of most things like groceries, clothes etc is pretty close to home, with a few brands being cheaper as they are at American prices not Aussie prices. Things that are cheaper are cigarettes, alcohol, petrol, taxis etc. Cigarettes are about $2 Aussie a packet and Vodka around $20 Aussie a bottle.

5. Most clubs and bars have Ladies Night where girls get in for free and are allowed free drinks all night, yiew! This is because the guy to girl ratio is so whack here so they are trying to get more girls out.

6. Abu Dhabi airport has like zero security. You literally get off the plane, get your passport stamped, pick up your bags and leave. No metal detectors, no x-ray machines, no dogs, no customs.

7. Minimum wage is $3 Durhams an hour, this is less than $1 Australian an hour. The craziest part is that thousands of people come from surrounding countries like Indian and Saudi Arabia to work here because it’s better pay than they’d get at home.

Living in a surreal state

So I’ve been in Abu Dhabi for a few days now and I thought it was time I wrote a little post about my experiences. It really does take a few days to get your head around this city and even now I still don’t truly understand it, but I’ll do my best to explain the things I do understand.

This is my home in Abu Dhabi - it’s where my Uncle & Aunty live

It’s hard to get over how surreal this city is, it’s like you’re living in some warped parrell universe. There are all these futuristic high-rises, incredibly ornate buildings and stunning gardens but then there are also kilometres of barren sandy deserts and empty construction sites. It’s obvious that this country has incredible amounts of wealth but it’s strange to me that they are so obsessed with building so many buildings when it seems like 80% aren’t even being used. The streets are empty because it’s too hot to be outside, the beaches are empty because they are all privately owned and the restaurants and malls aren’t even full either, it’s so odd. It almost feels like they know something we don’t, like there is going to be a huge influx of people to the UAE soon. It kind of creeps me out, it also reminds me alot of North Korea and how their cities are built entirely to impress their guests.

 

 This is part of the city outside the Emirates Royal Palace Hotel

 

looking back over the city from Marina Mall

The Formula 1 track at Yas Island

Departing

So yesterday was the beginning of my latest adventure. I flew out of Sydney airport at around 4pm and had the pleasure of enjoying a lovely 14.5hr flight to Abu Dhabi.

The flight itself was alright, pretty stock standard but the view was beyond phenomenal. We flew from Sydney across the whole country up to Broome and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. I got the pleasure of seeing our beautiful country from an entirely new perspective. The contrast between the deep red sand and the bright blue lagoons, the deep veins and high hills that carved through the land, it was so stunning. Then as we were going over Indonesia, then sun went down and we passed the most intense lightning storm. I have never been so mesmerized, terrified and calm all at once. I can’t even explain it, but watching the lightning bolts shoot through the clouds and light the whole sky up was intense. 

We arrived into Abu Dhabi at 11:30pm local time and it was around 33 degrees which I definitely wasn’t used to. The airport itself was super chilled. You literally walked off the plane, got your passport stamped with a visa, picked up your bags and walked out. No customs, no quarrantie, no nothing. Met my uncle and aunty and off we went. All I could see was sand, and huge houses. We got to theirs, I fell asleep and here I am, my first day ready to go exploring. Wish me luck!